Hello all! The last time I kept fish (20 gal. rect. tank) for my family was several years ago when I was maybe 10-14 years old. It is a wonder how any of my fish survived back then considering how much bad/incorrect information we had. I read a lot on this site and other sites. I figured I should join to be able to post and see other features that aren't available to guests.

This time around, I certainly wanted to do everything as best as I could in terms of the habitat for the fish. That included cycling, more frequent water testing (API liquid kit :-))/changes, better feeding regimen, etc.

I have two tanks now: 1 for a blue crowntail betta and the other is a 10 gallon. The specs are:

LED lighting in hood (very nice white light - I like it a lot more than the incandescent from back in the day I last used)

50W heater

4 silk plants, 2 fake rock structures, 1 small mopani wood

Anyway, I have had a "crazy" idea that I've been pondering for a few weeks. I live in a fairly metro area in New England and believe there could be potential for this type of service. Does anyone think that 1 man, in-home aquarium cleaning service could get off the ground? Let me elaborate a little more on my ideas:

I'd focus only on freshwater aquariums as I have the most knowledge and experience with them

I have kept mainly tropical fish int he last and now, but would be willing to come up to speed on any species/community of freshwater fish

Would anyone actually pay for in-home aquarium cleaning?

I think it would be logical to market this service to the elderly who may not be able to easily care for their fish. There may also be disabled persons who could benefit from this too. Even people that are too busy with work or what not, but still want an aquarium maintained.

I think I'd have to set an upper size limit on the aquariums I'd be willing to clean and help the owner do simple maintenance on... Not sure what size would be a good cutoff though.

I am concerned about the risks of spreading diseases from tank to tank if I use the same equipment between cleanings...

I also figure that a person willing to do this sort of service should have some type of insurance...

I still haven't fully detailed the specifics of all the equipment/supplies that would be needed to start operating. Obviously, I'd want this to be as minimal as possible since I don't have a small business loan nor much of my own money...

Anyway, feel free to post your ideas and advice about this venture. :-)

Boredomb

10-30-2013 06:10 PM

Hi and welcome to Tropical fish keeping!

As for your idea well it could work if the need is there in your area. Using the same equipment in every tank would be risky because of disease as you stated. You could always sanitize the equipment after every use but they need time to dry afterwards. If you had multiple clients in the same day that might be tricky. Soo you would probably need several sets.

Romad

10-30-2013 07:36 PM

Hello and welcome to the forum :wave:

There must be a way to find out if there's an interest or a need to maintain tanks. See if there's an active aquatic club in your area that meets on a regular basis and feel it out.